September 11, 2012
29
ChickenScratch Weekly Calendar Tuesday, Sept. 11 Volleyball vs. Georgtown Bob Carpenter Sports Center 7 p.m.
Commentary
Wednesday, Sept. 12 Men’s Soccer vs. Navy Delaware Mini-Stadium 7 p.m. Field Hockey vs. Monmouth Rullo Stadium 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15 Women’s Cross Country at the Del. Invitational White Clay Creek State Park 10:30 a.m. Football vs. Bucknell Delaware Stadium 3:30 p.m.
Henpeckings Field Hockey: Delaware’s field hockey team won their first game this week after defeating Saint Joseph’s at Rullo Stadium on Wednesday. Freshman midfielder Michaela Patzner, junior forward Toni Popinko and senior midfielder/forward Nikki Onorato each tallied a goal while leading the Hens to victory. Junior goalie Sara Scher registered six saves on the day. The Hens’ record is 1-4 (0-0) after Friday’s game.
“THE
REIGN OF FIDEL GOODELL” BY MATT BITTLE
You may have heard about the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal, where some Saints’ coaches and defensive players were charged for paying players bonuses for injuring opposing players. That’s a big no-no. But was NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s response appropriate? Goodell issued suspensions to current or former Saints officials and suspended four players, three coaches and the team’s general manager. There’s an argument to be made that Goodell overstepped his boundaries, issuing punishments that did not fit the crime. In particular, the suspension of head coach Sean Payton for the full 16-game season struck some as unnecessarily harsh. The league had never before suspended a coach, not even the New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick, who was found to have illegally videotaped opposing teams’ practices. The NFL has also
Women’s Cross Country: The Delaware women’s cross country team was at Penn State this past Saturday for the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational. The Hens finished in sixth place out of 10 teams, while totaling 197 points on the day. Delaware was lead by sophomore Nicole Daly. Daly ran the six-kilometer course in 22:19, finishing in 19th place.
Goodell has placed more responsibility on refs to keep players safe, something that naturally becomes much harder when the regular group of trained professionals is being locked out by a number of greedy billionaires. If replacement refs cannot even get a simple holding call right, how can they be expected to keep an eye out for players showing signs of a concussion? And I haven’t even mentioned the worst of Goodell’s despotic depravity. The league is currently being sued by thousands of former players in one collective lawsuit, with the players alleging that the league covered up information linking brain damage and concussions caused by play to dementia and other illnesses. The NFL needs to get its act together. As the leader of the league, that responsibility falls on Goodell. I used to like Goodell. He enforced the NFL’s personal conduct policy, suspending players who acted foolishly off the field. My opinion changed, however, during the lockout of 2011. Goodell supported the owners, a group of obscenely rich men who sit in their comfy suites while players destroy their bodies for entertainment. The least the league could have done is pay the players a bit more. And it’s true he’s not the sole voice in this, as the owners have a say too. Nevertheless, as commissioner, Goodell is the most powerful man in the NFL and it is his responsibility to be fair to everyone. He has failed in that. For the NFL and Roger Goodell it is all about money. Matt Bittle is the sports editor at The Review. Send questions, comments and a new achilles tendon for Terrell Suggs to mraven@udel.edu
Under Preview
Men’s Golf: Delaware’s men’s golf team traveled to Annapolis for the Navy Fall Classic at the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Course from Saturday to Sunday. With day one suspended due to severe weather, day two was crucial. Freshman Ben Shattuck tied for third in the individual standings, while the team placed seventh out of 15. The Hens’ record is 0-0 in CAA play. Men’s Soccer: Delaware’s men’s soccer team traveled to Pittsburgh for the University of Pittsburgh/Nike Invitational and won a 2-1 thriller over Duquesne University on Friday. After falling behind early in the first half, junior defender Evan Reed scored early in the second half to tie the game. The contest remained tied until Delaware broke through again as junior midfielder Vincent Mediate scored with just under 15 minutes to play. The Hens were able to gain a runner-up finish with a 1-0 loss to host Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Hens are 1-4 (0-0 CAA).
refused to reveal the majority of its evidence in the Saints case. The Saints are not the only element of the NFL being punished by Goodell. Perhaps you are aware that the NFL is locking out its referees. The refs—over 100 of them—have asked for higher pay. Not an outrageous demand when you consider that Major League Baseball and NBA officials make more money, and the NFL is the most profitable pro sports league in America. The owners, in contrast, want to cut the officials’ benefits. If the NFL refs cave and go back to work at the exact same salary, the NFL will save about $62,000 per team—a “tremendous sum” in a league where nearly half the teams’ owners are billionaires. Not only are Goodell and the NFL miserly, the replacement officials are bad. Terrible, actually. These officials are not major college refs—they are used to officiating small college football. One of them was allegedly fired by the Lingerie Football League. Everyone and their mother is criticizing them—and justifiably so. The preseason was a veritable comedy of errors, with referees making some mindnumbingly painful mistakes, such as calling a punt down at the four-yard line a touchback, applying rules incorrectly and calling Atlanta “Arizona” twice. I am not here to bury the replacement refs. They are in a tough spot. Nor am I intending to say that placing bounties on opponents is fine. Goodell is the one I have a problem with. Goodell has continually trumpeted player safety. He has pushed for harsh enforcement of penalties in order to protect players. He has even changed the game in order to reduce violence. That is fine. But issues arise when one considers that Goodell also pushed for an 18-game season, which would increased injuries. In addition,
Delaware vs. Saint Joseph’s About the teams: About Delaware: The Hens are entering this contest coming off a 2-0 victory against Delaware State. With an overall record of 2-3, Delaware is looking to reach the .500 mark for the first time this season. The Hens are lead by senior captain defender Laura Klebe. Forward Ali Miller leads the offense, as she returns this season after scoring 14 goals and earning first team All-CAA honors a year ago. About Saint Joseph’s: The Hawks are looking to rebound as they are coming off three straight losses to Hartford, Princeton and Iona, respectively. St. Joe’s will enter this game with a 3-3-1 record. The Hawks are led by midfielders Emily Irons and Jill Root. Irons is a junior captain that played in 17 games last year, while Root is a transfer from Monmouth University. In net, St. Joe’s relies upon Christine Neal and Lauren Jancuska, both of whom combined to give less than a goal per game in 2011.
Women’s Soccer Time: Friday at 7 p.m. Location: Delaware Mini-Stadium
Why the Hens can win: The Hens’ defense has been stellar as of late. After giving up just one goal in the last three contests, Delaware will look to continue their stellar defensive play into their next game. If the Hens’ defense holds up like expected, this team will have every opportunity to win the game.
Why the Hens could lose: The Hawks’ formidable midfield tandem of Emily Irons and Jill Root is a tough matchup. If they are allowed to control the pace of play in the middle of the field, it could be tough for the Hen’s to generate offense. Also, senior co-captain Taylor Thompson is out for the year with a torn ACL.
The numbers: Three: The number of goals scored by substitutes this year for the Hens. Four: The number of goals the Hens have scored this year. Zero: The number of goals that St. Joseph’s has scored in their three previous games.
The prediction: Even with Root and Irons being in the midfield, Ali Miller will shine through. Delaware: 2 Saint Joseph’s: 1
—Paul Tierney Assistant Sports Editor